The reform act crisis & Whig reforms 1833-41

Cards (20)

  • Why did the Tories disintegrate after 1827
    • Canning takes over as PM & tories split over foreign policy & catholic sympathy 
    • Lack of stable leader to unite the party 
    • Wellington had to give in to Catholic emancipation (lost support of left and right sides of party)
    • Resurgence in parliamentary reform campaign 
    • Outbreaks of violence (Swing)
    • Daniel O'Connell
  • Why was O'Connell Important
    • Wanted catholic emancipation & to restore an irish parliament 
    • Won the County Clare election (1828) but couldn’t take his seat in parliament as he was catholic 
    • Peel & Wellington tried to stop him entering parliament by making him run again but he won regardless and achieved catholic emancipation
  • What were the effects of the Great reform act (1832)
    • Upper class expected working class to settle 
    • Working classes got nothing from the act and continued protesting 
    • Middle classes got some reforms but wanted more
    • The Tory party split
  • When was the Great Reform Act
    1832
  • What did the Great Reform Act do
    • Extension of the electorate (middle class - 14% adult males)
    • Redistribution of seats (56 rotten boroughs abolished, 30 lost one MP)
    • Many industrial towns given MPs for first time
    • First step towards modern democracy
    • Forced the Tories to rethink principles on reform
  • Motivation for Whig's social reform
    • Fear of revolution from the working class
    • Liberalism, middle class ideology (utilitarianism)
    • Humanitarianism, William Wilberforce
  • Define Liberalism
    laissez faire attitude
  • Define Humanitarianism
    working for the benefit of humanity
  • What was the Education act (1833)
    • £20,000 grant established for education (less than annual budget for royal stables) 
    • First step towards public education, within 40 years grant increased to £800,000
  • What was the Factory Act (1833)
    • Regulated factory conditions & enforced by inspectors 
    • Work of children under 9 years made illegal, 2 hours of education to be given to child workers aged 9-13 and were to work no more than 9 hours, 13-18 no more than 12 hours
  • What was the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act (1833)
    • William Wilberforce’s life struggle to end the slave trade was achieved 
    • Slave owners compensated £20,000,000 (£37 per slave)
  • What was the Poor Law Amendment act (1834)

    Allowed poor to seek refuge in workhouses
  • When was the Abolition of the Slave Trade
    1833
  • When was the Factory act
    1833
  • When was the Education act
    1833
  • What was the Significance of the Great Reform Act
    • It was the first of its kind (step towards democracy)
    • Tory argument the British Constitution was organic which could be killed proven false
    • Gave the middle class a share of power & allowed series of social reforms 
    • Changed the Tory Party for good (by 1835 they were no longer resistant to all change or reform)
  • (1) Passing of the Great Reform Act
    • Bill proposed (March 1831) reformative measures (extend electorate to 18% males & owners of houses £10<, redistribution of seats), passed through commons by 1 vote but defeated by Lords
    • New Bill introduced (sept 1831), passed through commons by 109 votes but defeated by Lords
  • (2) Passing of the Great Reform Act
    • Bill revised by commons (March 1832) as public distress increased, Grey resigns over inability to convince King to support the bill & radicals threatened a run on the bank & national uprisings 
    • Wellington advises king to recall Grey to pass bill but instead the King persuaded objecting tories to pass the bill (passed in June 1832)
  • What caused the need for the Poor Law reform (1834)
    • Impact of the Napoleonic Wars causing agricultural depression
    • Change of attitudes towards the poor
    • Political economists (unneeded expenditure)
    • Pressure from the Swing riots
    • Resentment of the poor rate
  • Limitations of the Poor Law Amendment Act
    • oversimplified view of poverty
    • Managements during depressions
    • failed to see relevance
    • No change was made
    • administrative resentment